G-Dragon

Kwon Ji-yong( Hangul : 권지용; born August 18, 1988),also known by his stage nameG-Dragonis a South Korean rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur, and fashion icon. He is known for penning chart-topping singles and his stage presence that has garnered him the title " King of K-pop ".From age twelve, G-Dragon trained for six years at South Korean entertainment label YG Entertainment before debuting in 2006 as a member of the hip hop boy band Big Bang , which went on to become one of the best-selling boy bands in the world.His first solo albumHeartbreakerand its title track of the same name , both released in 2009, were commercially successful and earned him Album of the Year at the 2009 Mnet Asian Music Awards . G-Dragon collaborated with Big Bang bandmate T.O.P to release the albumGD & TOPin 2010. His first EPOne of a Kind(2012), was critically acclaimed and yielded three singles: " One of a Kind ", " Crayon ", and the chart-topper " That XX ". The EP became the best-selling album by a Korean soloist, breaking his previous record withHeartbreaker, and earned Record of the Year at the 2013 Seoul Music Awards . In 2013, he embarked on his first worldwide tour as a solo artist, making him the first Korean soloist to tour Japanese dome arenas.G-Dragon was awarded Artist of the Year at the 2013 Mnet Asian Music Awards following the success of his second albumCoup d'Etat(2013). His 2017 EP,Kwon Ji Yong, yielded the number one single " Untitled, 2014 ", and the supporting concert tour Act III: M.O.T.T.E became the largest tour ever conducted by a Korean soloist.Widely recognized for his influence on youth culture, fashion trends, and music in South Korea,G-Dragon was named byForbesin 2016 as the most influential person under 30 in Asia's entertainment and sports.Producing not only for his band but also for his and his bandmates' solo releases, G-Dragon has written or co-written 23 number one songs on the Gaon Digital Chart (equivalent to theBillboardHot 100 ), most of which he has also co-produced.

Recent news about G-Dragon

The 30-year-old boy band member, who is the most stylish and talented in the history of pop music, was selected by the British Guardian on November 13 (local time).
G-Dragon was listed at No. 11 and praised for his role in influencing the era of “modern, multi-disciplinary Korean…

Big Bang member G-Dragon who is in the service of the army gave a cute gift to his sister. Today (2 days) One picture of maple leaf has been uploaded to the Instagram of Mr. Ji Dragon and Mr. Kami Kami. Kwon wrote a picture with the words "Give me a present for my sister. I left a leaf on …

G-Dragon's Life and career

1988–2008: Early life and debut with Big Bangedit

Main article: Big Bang (South Korean band)

He was a trainee under the record label for five years (from 8–13 years old), specializing in dance before he left, unclear about what he wanted to do.

Additionally, he and future fellow Big Bang member Choi Seung-hyun were "neighborhood friend[s] from middle school" and would often dance and rap together before Kwon moved away.Catching the interest of Sean of the hip-hop duo Jinusean from YG Entertainment , Kwon was recommended by him to Sean's record label's CEO Yang Hyun Suk . After signing a contract with the record label, Kwon spent the first year cleaning the studio for the other artists in the record label and fetching them water bottles during dance practice.

He made several featured appearances on other artists' albums and even released several singles with Dong under the name "GDYB." After YG Entertainment scrapped the plan and opted for a boy band instead, Kwon contacted Choi, who auditioned in.G-Dragon, Dong (who chose the stage name Taeyang), and Choi (who chose the stage name T.O.P), were paired with three other members ( Jang Hyun-seung , Daesung , and Seungri ).

in 2007 was a musical departure from their previous materials and saw forth G-Dragon's increased involvement in its production.Several songs were composed by him, including the lead-single " Lies " (Korean: 거짓말; Revised Romanization :Geojitmal), which became the group's first number one hit. Their following EPs followed its predecessor's footsteps:Hot Issueyielded " Last Farewell " (Korean: 마지막 인사; Revised Romanization:Majimak Insa) whileStand Upspawned " Day by Day " (Korean: 하루하루; Revised Romanization:Haru Haru); both singles, composed by him, were chart-toppers.[[#cite_note-빅뱅_쥬크���차트_8주_연속_1위_기염,_JOO도_2주만에_7위_진입-19|[19]]]Having produced the majority of Big Bang's materials, G-Dragon became involved with the production of Taeyang's debut extended playHot(2008), after which he subsequently recorded a "Part Two" to the EP's lead single "Only Look at Me" (Korean: 나만바라봐; Revised Romanization:Naman Barabwa).

2009–2011: Solo career development,Heartbreaker, andGD & TOPedit

the album surpassed 300,000 copies soldand went on to win Album of the Year from the 2009 Mnet Asian Music Awards .Shortly afterHeartbreaker's release, G-Dragon was accused of plagiarism by Sony Music when his tracks " Heartbreaker " and " Butterfly " were alleged to be similar to Flo Rida 's " Right Round " and Oasis's " She's Electric ", respectively.However, EMI , the record label that distributed "Right Round" said that they saw no similarities between these two songs.

and suggestive content.The Korean Ministry of Health, Welfare and Family Affairs later asked the government prosecutors to investigate if G-Dragon or YG Entertainment violated laws on obscene performances in his concert.He was found innocent and was cleared of all charges on March 15, 2010.

G-Dragon performing with T.O.P. in 2011

while "Oh Yeah" peaked at number two on the Gaon Digital Chart .The album was released on Christmas Eve, and debuted at number one on the Gaon Album Chartwith pre-orders of 200,000 copies,

but after realizing it was not a normal cigarette, threw it away. Because he was not charged, he did not lose any endorsers and made his first public appearance after the scandal at the 2011 MTV EMAs with his group.

2012–2013:One of a Kind, world tour, andCoup d'Etatedit

G-Dragon performing on Alive Galaxy Tour in September 2012

and the top-three hit " Crayon "that was ranked bySpin Magazineas the best K-Pop single of the year.The album sold over 200,000 copies, making it the highest selling solo album in Korea since the release of his debut albumHeartbreakerin 2009.For his effort, he won "Best Male Solo Artist" at the 14th Mnet Asian Music Awards and "Record of the Year" forOne of a Kindat the 22nd Seoul Music Awards . G-Dragon also embarked on the One of a Kind World Tour in 2013, becoming the first Korean solo artist to hold a four-dome tour in Japanand the second Korean solo artist to have a world tour (the first being Rain ). The production of the tour cost $3.5 million, making it the largest scale in Korean history at the time.The tour was held in 8 countries, visited 13 cities for a total of 27 concerts gathering 570,000 fans.

The best-performing single of the album was " Crooked " (Korean: 삐딱하게; Revised Romanization:Ppiddak-hage), with over 1.8 million digital downloads,which was his first solo music video to surpass 100 million views on YouTube .The title track "Coup d'Etat" (Korean: 쿠데타; Revised Romanization: ''Kudeta'') was chosen byBillboardas one of the game-changing EDM tracks of 2013.The album entered theBillboard200, making G-Dragon the first Korean act to have multiples entries on the chart.The success ofCoup d'Etatled to G-Dragon winning a total of four awards at the 15th Mnet Asian Music Awards : Best Male Solo Artist, Best Music Video for "Coup d'Etat", Best Dance Performance for "Crooked", and the highest award, Artist of The Year.He later took home the World's Best Entertainer and World's Best Album at the World Music Awards .

2014–2016: Collaborations and music producingedit

G-Dragon became a face of Airbnb for Asia in 2015

while its music video surpassed 100 million views on YouTube, making Big Bang the first Korean male group to have three 100 million YouTube hits under its belt.In December of the same year, G-Dragon collaborated with Skrillex and Diplo for the song " Dirty Vibe ", which also features labelmate CL . The single charted at number 15 onBillboard's Hot Dance/Electronic Songs and 21 on Dance/Electronic Digital Songs , making them the first Korean artists to land on the chart.In 2015, he wrote and produced a song for YG Entertainment's new rookie group iKon for their debut albumWelcome Back.

special, which was a two-episode thriller movie, where he acted for the first time.Additionally, he featured in Baauer 's song "Temple" from his debut albumAa(2016) along with British rapper M.I.A.The song charted at number 36 onBillboard's Dance/Electronic Digital Songs and number 26 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, making him the first Korean male artist to chart twice on both charts.

2017–present:Kwon Ji Yong, second world tour, and mandatory military serviceedit

which topped the Gaon Chart for two consecutive weeks.After the promotional activities with his band wrapped up, G-Dragon began preparing for the release of his new album, along with a solo concert tour.

In China , the album surpassed 760,000 digital units sold in a day on QQ Music , the biggest music site in the country.Six days after its release, it surpassed one million copies sold, becoming the fastest album to do so and the best-selling album of the year so far.His second world tour, Act III: M.O.T.T.E , began at Seoul World Cup Stadium on June 10, 2017and visited 29 cities across Asia, North America, Europe and Oceania.The tour is the largest tour by a Korean artist in the United States and Europe, and is the largest concert tour ever conducted by a Korean solo artist, it was attended by 654,000 people worldwide.

On May 17, 2018, G-Dragon was reported to have undergone surgery to his right ankle due to previous injuries. He returned to his military base a few days later.

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G-Dragon's Artistry

During the early days of Big Bang's career, the band was marketed predominately as a hip-hop group, though they went on to experiment with electronic music and setting it as the new music trend in Korea.From previous exposure to a range of genres with Big Bang, G-Dragon incorporated a mix of dance, hip-hop, and R&B songs intoHeartbreaker.During the production for the collaboration albumGD & TOP, G-Dragon opted for a more hip-hop sound, though he acknowledges that R&B, acoustic , and electronic music heavily influenced it.His second album,Coup d'Etat, is noted for being an eclectic mix of hip-hop, dubstep , rock, electro, and pop.

— G-Dragon

The lyrics in his song " A Boy " was in response to the negative criticisms surrounding his 2009 plagiarism controversy, with the artist refusing to give up on his career despite the setbacks.FromCoup d'Etat, " Niliria " was noted for sounding ethnic and surrealist ,while "Crooked" was created express his natural punk attitude.Preferring to pen lyrics that "sound like an actual story,"G-Dragon has said he injects throughout his songwriting process "a sense of eeriness" writing songs that resemble horror films , like "She's Gone", "Window" and " That XX ".

Aside from producing songs for his own band, G-Dragon has also produced for other artists, including bandmates Taeyang,Seungri and Daesung, and YG Entertainment labelmates iKon .

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G-Dragon's Public image

G-Dragon in stage outfit on Big Bang's Alive Tour in 2012

He has consistently altered his hair throughout the years, ranging from various shades of colors to different cuts.Additionally, his constant sporting of triangular scarves during promotions for Big Bang's mini-albumAlwaysbecame a trend among teenagers and were later nicknamed the "Big Bang scarves."

Dazed and Confusedcharacterized his style as "fluid and far-reaching," calling him a "natural style chameleon."Monica Kim fromVogue Magazineadmired his "uncanny knack for larger-than-life style that remains wearably cool."Joe Coscarelli fromThe New York Timescalls him "a style icon, a chameleon who often makes peak-era Lady Gaga seem staid."He has covered various issues ofW,Dazed,Hypebeast,Elle,Vogue, and landed editorials inHarper’s Bazaar,Esquire, among other Asian magazines.

Vulture

Seoul Beatshave described G-Dragon as "glamorous, cocky, [and] energetic," compared to his real-life "humble [and] understated" personality.In a 2017 interview withElle, he described G-Dragon as someone who is "full of self-confidence" and is "a fancier and stronger person" while Kwon Ji-yong is an "introvert[ed] guy" with "many thoughts in his mind."Despite his success as a solo artist and leader of Big Bang, G-Dragon has admitted that he didn't realize how famous he was until he went on Big Bang's first world tour .

G-Dragon was included in the 2015's and 2016's Business of Fashion's500 Global Fashion Leaderslist, making him one of the five Koreans on the list, and the only K-Pop act to have made the cut.He was also the only Korean inHypebeast's 100 Innovatorslist.

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G-Dragon's Other ventures

Businessedit

In 2017, his second cafe named "Untitled, 2017", inspired by the title of his most recent single , was built, alongside with a bowling alley both designed by G-Dragon. It is located within YG Entertainment 's YG Republique building complexYG Townof Jeju Shinhwa World resort, for which he is an ambassador.

Endorsementsedit

The same year, he was announced as the official ambassador of luxury resort Jeju Shinhwa World, located on Jeju Island .In 2017, G-Dragon was chosen as the brand ambassador of Jeju Island 's first premiere resort complexJeju Shinhwa World, G-Dragon directly participated in the development, designing and planning the concept of the resort complex.

Fashion and artedit

Having worked on the exhibition for over a year, its aim is to bring the modern art and pop culture together in order to "introduce domestic artists to the public, who are unfamiliar with art or who find art unapproachable."The show was held at the Seoul Museum of Art from June 6 to August 23.He also launched a collaboration with Giuseppe Zanotti and designed two unisex shoe styles.

Peaceminusone logo

He also became a brand ambassador for French fashion house Chanel ,and starred in the label’s Gabrielle bag campaign during 2017, alongside industry legend Pharrell .

He also launched collaboration with French retailer Colette which was made available to purchase on his online store.

Philanthropyedit

G-Dragon donated ₩50 million ($43,400 USD) in 2011 (when fans donated under his name) and in 2012 (privately by himself) to Seoul National University Hospital to help children with diseases get treatment, it was revealed accidentally in 2017 as his name was engraved on a plaque honoring those who had contributed ₩100 million or more.

Additionally, in May 2017, a citrus tree forest was officially opened in the city of Seogwipo on Jeju Island , named after G-Dragon's real name, Kwon Ji-yong. The fruit harvested from the forest will be donated to charity events.

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G-Dragon's Awards and achievements

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by G-Dragon

See also: List of awards and nominations received by Big Bang

and in 2013, he was awarded the Style Icon of the Year award at the Style Icon Asia , being the first solo singer to win the award undivided.He was chosen byGQ Koreaas their Man of the Year in 2015.Additionally, G-Dragon was honored at the 2016 Pop Culture & Arts Awards, held by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism , being recognized for his influence and success on music and fashion.

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G-Dragon's Legacy

Lee Seung-hwan ,Kim Eanaand Grimes , who states that K-pop, in particular G-Dragon, has influenced her musical style "more visually than anything else."

G-Dragon has been called the "King of K-Pop" by various media publications includingRolling Stone,DazedandVogue.His artistry, multi-hyphenate career, popularity and level of influence have drawn comparisons to American singer Michael Jackson byBillboard,Vogue,andi-D, who hailed him as "the millennial Michael Jackson".

"지드래곤 "'배배', 프랜시스 베이컨 작품 보고 야한 느낌 받아 작업"". 10Asia (in Korean). June 8, 2015. Retrieved March 27, 2017. One day I was looking at some of Francis Bacon’s work in a museum and it strangely felt erotic to me. I'm not sure why. We were working on the album at the time, while I was writing the music, I kept looking at his paintings. So they inspired me a lot one way or another.

"Younha Praises G-Dragon's Artistry In The Celebrity". December 29, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2017. Although our domains are different (who she finds inspirational is): G-Dragon. He's somebody who has conviction regarding the field he wants to enter. He has an obvious identity and appeals to the nation with his amazing presence.

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